No change to P.E.I. abortion policy: minister

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P.E.I. will remain the only province in the country that does not provide abortion services for the foreseeable future, says Health Minister Doug Currie.

The province is not ready to take on the extra costs associated with abortion services, says Health Minister Doug Currie. (CBC)

Island women needing an abortion currently have to travel to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.

A new group called the P.E.I. Reproductive Rights Organization hopes to change that. PRRO says Islanders should have the same access to abortions as the rest of Canadians. Currie told CBC News Tuesday that's not likely to happen any time soon.

"To me, it's not about the political discussion. It's more about another service, and it falls in the suite of services that we don't provide at this point in time," said Currie.

"The more services you add to a system, obviously there's going to be more costs attached to that."

Currie said he has not yet heard from the organization, but if the group wants to meet with him his door is always open.

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"There is a very narrow window in which an abortion can be performed and in that stressful time women must try to get time off work or school, find child care in many cases, arrange travel and accommodation, and beg or borrow the necessary funds if they have no money."

Labchuk noted while abortions are insured by provincial health plans, P.E.I. women are burdened with the expense of traveling to another province.